It’s rare that you can leave a gig feeling that you have, in a strange way, made friends with the band after they’ve left the stage, despite not having a conversation with them. The four piece is made up of (in alphabetical order!) Becky Blomfield, Billy Hutton, Chris Webb and Oli Holbrook and each soul on stage emanated this wonderful feeling of positivity, and through their themes of Being Nice and Owning Your Okayness, it’s almost as if you are getting a lyrically hug from the band and feel that you are in an environment where you can let your guard down and just be yourself.

Despite some technical difficulties, Milk Teeth held the crowd by being completely endearing and radiating positive energy in the light of something that could have caused other bands to “get the face on”. A few jokes from the drummer Oli Holbrook sent ripples of chortles and I think perhaps some non-malicious eye rolling through the crowd.

The show was just brilliant and it left us at The Plug dying for more, I think it’s fair to say that we were surprised when the band left the stage and the lights came on! More Milk Teeth would have been the only thing that would have improved a practically perfect performance.

The group absolutely ooze the potential to be something massive and I have the utmost confidence that they will be.

Becky Blomfield is absolute power house, and a great role model for both men and women. Her incredibly interesting article Interesting article HERE from back in 2016 just shows that there is still a lot of work to do in the music industry.

Thanks as well the The Plug for putting on a great show and all of their hard work. The Plug in Sheffield puts on a huge variety of shows and also club nights. Check them out https://www.the-plug.com/events-and-tickets.

The more of these pop-punk gigs I attend at Corporation, the more madly I fall in the love with the genre and all of the wonderful things it has to offer.

Having only listened to Patent Pending in passing previously, I entered the room without any expectations. I sometimes find this is the best method when I’ll be writing a review because it means I don’t wander in already thinking “I am bound to enjoy this.”

Each track encouraged movement and a great sense of ‘togetherness’ flooded the room. The group even covered the theme tune from The Big Bang Theory (originally by the Barenaked Ladies) which went down an absolute treat.

The showmanship was unsurpassable, with heaps of audience interaction (including a crowd swimming competition with Joe Ragosta and his younger brother!) and jokes rolling one after the other, it was such an enthralling atmosphere and there was not a single second I did not feel captivated and excited.

There are very few things that are comparable to the sense of community and belonging at a pop-punk concert with a band like Patent Pending. They speak from the heart and deliver messages that are meaningful and have purpose, that does not mean to say that they are serious – these guys are anything but – however, they are genuine guys who never stray from this which can be so easy to do once you find yourself in the limelight.

Please please follow the guys on Twitter @PTPGOfficial and as always a huge thanks and shout out to my favourite alternative venue in Sheffield Corporation.

When Inherit the Stars announced they’d be playing one of Sheffield’s most talked-about venues – The Rocking Chair – for their first gig of 2016 the news created quite the buzz. People were excited, and I’m including myself! Although after an amazing show last year I was sceptical whether it could be topped – or even matched.

The Rocking Chair was absolutely rammed and the atmosphere electric, the clear support and admiration from the fans just shows that this is a solid group with genuine talent that is being recognised more and more every day. Growing in popularity and even more so in skill, it seems there is no end to what Inherit The Stars can pull out of the bag.

Daniel Jeffrey brought the crowd together by bringing a delightful duo of charm and charisma to the table, with the occasional quip from Lewis Wild (bassist) bringing us crashing back to earth with his dry banter which never fails to leave everybody smiling.

For me, I am very much a lyrics lady and having the opportunity to join in really does it for me so songs like Exit Plan, If We Fall, We Fall Together and oh, one more, Better Than This are absolutely on point.

Just the sheer quality of the production of the music is noteworthy, these guys don’t sound as though they belong in local venues but headlining stages at festivals everywhere. I find it difficult to fault Inherit The Stars because they just “sound” good, as if there is something for everybody in there, a tasty medley of metal, rock, pop with a cheeky serving of electro/synth sauce on top.

There is no doubt in my mind that the four lads are going to go further than they ever expected.

I strongly recommend giving them a try:

Their latest release Fortune Favours the Brave can be heard and seen on YouTube here.

You can also listen to my favourite track Exit Plan (amongst others) on Bandcamp.

It’s a brand new year and what better way to start it off than by travelling back over a decade to see an old favourite play a sell out show at Sheffield’s biggest alternative venue, Corporation?

Playing through their platinum (US) selling album ANThology, this was a nostalgia party that everybody was invited to.

Corp immediately became a swarming hive of activity fuelled by the previous performances by the wonderful Dirty Youth and INME. Passionate and eager, we were psyched up and ready for AAF to arrive on stage.

The performance given by Mitchell, Cosgrove, Corso and Peugh was nothing short of how I would have imagined it when I first heard “Movies” on Kerrang TV. Feeling somewhat sentimental and ecstatic in unison, I think I can speak for most people who attended that evening when I say that this gig was something pretty special.

The crowd were absolutely insatiable throughout the entire set and the showmanship was simply incredible, from track 1 all the way to 14, and what better way to close the show than by playing their hugely successful cover of Michael Jacksons’ “Smooth Criminal.”

The band were truly on form and performed to an exceptional level, I’m sure this experience will be a memorable one that will stay with people for a long time.

It all started with a perfect opening: Turncoat gave everyone an immediate rush of energy that possessed every person in the room for the entire show.

Anti-Flag have now (for twenty years or more) laboured to build and be part of a conscious community whose eyes are open to the world around them. Fully fuelled by activist political opinion, the group send a positive message to all to be respectful and live life to its full potential. The set list included Die For Your Government and War Sucks, Let’s Party to name a few of their more obvious political songs.

The gig was enthralling, people became united and threw their fists in the air and belted the band’s lyrics right back at them with passion. The crowd was encouraged to make some noise, jump and dance with all they had. This is one of the first gigs I’ve been to where the audience interaction was so consistent, short speeches and opinions on world affairs left people clapping and cheering in agreement.

The icing on the cake for me personally, was the moment Chris #2 (bass guitar, vocals) joined us in the crowd to finish up, it truly broke down the walls between performer and audience and was spectacular to see. Anti-Flag were bringing out positive activist records when I was less than ten years old and they have not lost a single spark of devotion for what they believe in.

The new album American Spring contains higher elements of pop in contrast to some of their earlier music, this is not to say however, that the band have lost of their initial hard hitting edginess. Whether the punk scene is your thing or not, it is difficult to argue with positive messages against racism and hate. It is a close knit community that goes deeper than just the music, and I was delighted to be part of it for an evening.

I’m quite picky with events I go to, a general rule I follow is – if it’s not gigs, I’m not interested! I don’t even visit the cinema, and as somebody who spends hours alone rejecting social invitations on a regular basis in favour of being at one with my Xbox, I was at first reluctant to go to an event that would require me actually speaking to other human beings (and not down a mic).

Why do I need to go to a bar to play video games when I can just merrily sit here, check my phone (for the texts I’m not going to receive) and eat some custard creams in the comfort of my own crumb riddled bed?

This is why…

I realised almost immediately that Game Over has been the type of social activity I have been looking for. I was lucky to meet some of the nicest people I have ever interacted with and it was genuinely one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had in a long time. There is something quite brilliant about being complimented on your t-shirt because somebody knows it’s actually the vault boy and not TinTin!

What makes this night even better is that you don’t have to be some powernerd who spends all day on COD shouting at four year olds and throwing their controllers at the wall. Nope, this was for anybody who has an interest in anything games related new and old. I sometimes find that myself and others are put off by these events on the basis that there will be some know-it-all fedora wearing guy going around trying to educate people on the history of video games. Every single person I spoke to was down to earth and friendly.

And what better way to make some friends than virtually shooting them in the head?!

Not only can you kick some serious backside on Mario Kart, but you can eat a slice of pepperoni and neck a beer at the same time.

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of receiving an EP from five-piece One Year Dead complete with three tracks.

The group are perfecting – with ease – a genre that continues to grow in popularity with new bands. Having taken clear influences from existing front-page artists such as Bury Tomorrow and A Day To Remember these guys are creating a combination of hardcore, metal and some softer acoustic styling.

Jamie Clark, One Year Dead’s vocalist, informed me that the group are really keen to obtain a local fan base and although have bigger long-term dreams on a global scale, having the support of their home town means a considerable amount to them:

“My inspiration lyrically comes from my mood at the time. You can expect an aggressive track if I’m feeling particularly riled up over something,”

and added “there is no particular song writer within our band, we all add our own ideas and experience into the mix and try and create something great.”

For me, I thought some of the singing vocals to be lacking some of the same fiery intent that came so naturally to the rest of the music and to the screaming. Besides this, the tracks were a trio of treats.

I always appreciate hearing different sounds come out of Sheffield, as written previously about the EP from Sheffield’s own Drop Dead Angus, and enjoy our vast level of diversity when it comes down to the talent we hold here.

It is a shame to report that the gang currently don’t have any gigs lined up, but are working on perfecting their sound before they delight us in person but these three solid tracks have left me feeling rather excited for what the future has in store for these Sheffield lads.

The EP is undergoing some fine tuning, and they estimate this should be released within the next few weeks.

Friday the 13th of March, androgynous alternative rock ensemble Placebo returned to Sheffield’s O2 Academy to celebrate their 20th year of remarkable music making.

Completely sold out, the gig’s crowd filled the Academy from front to back. Pure Morning played softly while the band prepared behind the scenes. It was gratifying to see fans young and old attending the gig, reminding us that music is something that stays close to us regardless of age.

The show started with the brilliant B3 and continued with songs from newer albums Loud Like Love and Battle For The Sun. Next up, perhaps the most popular Every You, Every Me, from the 1999 film Cruel Intentions.

For me, I would have been keen to have heard more from the group’s previous albums but it seemed although the show was marketed to celebrate 20 years of hard work, it really only focused on their newer material. This meant that in a sense we were denied some of the best work that Placebo have produced as they have dipped into different styles and mastered them all.

Space Monkey was the song of the evening in my opinion, well delivered and just incredible to hear live, it certainly packed a punch and displayed Molko’s vocal talents perfectly.

Brian Molko looked and sounded beautiful and gave a stunning performance, however overall I do wish they had given us a little more from their outstanding back catalogue.

Inherit the Stars (who played at Corporation on 7 February 2015) are one of the few reasons that make me proud to be watching local bands in Sheffield at this time, writes Jade Knox. The tracks they play have been nurtured and practiced until perfect. As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews, a band that is true to the music that influences them and can avoid the slippery indie slope that Sheffield bands are so eager to fall down, are always a plus in my book.

Songs with heavy riffs or with pop twists ensure that the group don’t alienate themselves from other genres which leads to a wider and more varied fan base that they certainly deserve. It is clear that Inherit the Stars have gained extreme popularity as evident by the hectic dance floor antics and soul-felt singalongs. It’s no secret that the group have found themselves friends and not just fans.

Sounds similar to those of Enter Shikari and less well known I Set My Friends On Fire, reminded me of why I used to be so heavily involved in this music scene as an older teen. It is a fantastic crowd to be part of and a band I’d like to see go even further than they have already.

Despite not being the only big name from the Madchester music scene in the 1980s and 90s, Oldham’s own Inspiral Carpets are veterans to the alternative rock scene of the time, having links with the Happy Mondays and Stone Roses, they are truly influential British legends.

Their Leadmill gig on 6th December saw fans young and old gather together to celebrate an extraordinary act. It was a flawless gig with a killer combination of old and new tracks, giving everybody something to love.

After seeing the Happy Mondays a year ago this month, there was a distinctive contrast between the two groups despite coming from just around the corner from each other. It was very evident throughout the Mondays gig that these guys had hit it hard over the last 30 years. In contrast, no spark had been lost from the Inspirals, a perfect sound and charismatic performance that sounded as enthused and energetic as I imagine it had done the first time they were on stage.

An unbeatable blending of dance and indie that made standing still impossible. The new single Spitfire should be purchased by anybody with any taste immediately.